Angela Jean Ahrendts, DBE (born June 7, 1960) is an American businesswoman who was previously the

senior vice president A vice president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vice president is on ...

of retail at

Apple Inc. Apple Inc. is an American multinational technology company headquartered in Cupertino, California, United States. Apple is the largest technology company by revenue (totaling in 2021) and, as of June 2022, is the world's biggest company ...

She was the

CEO A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especially ...

Burberry Burberry is a British luxury fashion house established in 1856 by Thomas Burberry headquartered in London, England. It currently designs and distributes ready to wear, including trench coats (for which it is most famous), leather accessorie ...

from 2006 to 2014. Ahrendts left Burberry to join Apple in 2014. Ahrendts was ranked 25th in Forbes' 2015 list of the most powerful women in the world, 9th most powerful woman in the U.K. in the

BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC that replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. It broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history from the BBC' ...

Woman's Hour 100 Power List, and 29th in ''

Fortune Fortune may refer to: General * Fortuna or Fortune, the Roman goddess of luck * Luck * Wealth * Fortune, a prediction made in fortune-telling * Fortune, in a fortune cookie Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''The Fortune'' (1931 film) ...

''s 2014 list of the world's most powerful women in business. She was also a member of the UK's Prime Minister's business advisory council until it was disbanded in 2016.

Early life

Ahrendts was born and raised in

New Palestine, Indiana New Palestine (pronounced ''PAL-es-tēn'') is a town in Sugar Creek Township, Hancock County, Indiana, along Sugar Creek. The population was 2,055 at the 2010 census. History New Palestine was laid out October 1, 1838, by Jonathan Evans. It fi ...

, the third of six children. Her father, Richard Ahrendts, was a businessman, and her mother, Jean, was a homemaker. She attended

New Palestine High School New Palestine High School is a rural public high school (grades 9–12) located in New Palestine, Indiana, managed by the Community School Corporation of Southern Hancock County. As of the 2016–2017 school year it serves 1,137 students and em ...

, where she was a varsity cheerleader. In 1981, she earned an undergraduate degree in Merchandising and Marketing from Ball State University in

Muncie, Indiana Muncie ( ) is an incorporated city and the county seat, seat of Delaware County, Indiana, Delaware County, Indiana. Previously known as Buckongahelas Town, named after the legendary Delaware Chief.http://www.delawarecountyhistory.org/history/docs ...

Career

Ahrendts moved to

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

to work in the fashion industry. After a series of positions including merchandising at

bra A bra, short for brassiere or brassière (, or ; ), is a form-fitting undergarment that is primarily used to support and cover breasts. It can serve a range of other practical and aesthetic purposes, including enhancing or reducing the appea ...

maker

Warnaco The Warnaco Group, Inc. was an American textile/clothing corporation which designed, sourced, marketed, licensed, and distributed a wide range of underwear, sportswear, and swimwear worldwide. Its products were sold under several brand names ...

, Ahrendts joined

Donna Karan Donna Karan (, born Donna Ivy Faske), also known as "DK", is an American fashion designer and the creator of the Donna Karan New York and DKNY clothing labels. Early life Karan was born Donna Ivy Faske to mother Helen "Queenie" Faske (née Rabin ...

International in 1989, working to develop the luxury brand internationally through both wholesale and licensing. In 1996 she was hired at

Henri Bendel Henri Bendel, Inc. (pronounced BEN-del), established in 1895, was a women's department store based in New York City which in its later history sold women's handbags, jewelry, luxury fashion accessories, home fragrances and gifts. Its New York Ci ...

Leslie Wexner Leslie Herbert Wexner (born September 8, 1937) is an American billionaire businessman, the founder and chairman emeritus of Bath & Body Works, Inc. (formerly Limited Brands). Wexner grew a business empire after starting The Limited, a clothing re ...

to expand Bendel stores to 50 new markets, but the project was cancelled by the board of directors two years later. In 1998, she joined

Fifth & Pacific Companies Kate Spade & Company, initially known as Liz Claiborne Inc. (founded in 1976 in Manhattan), and then as Fifth & Pacific Companies, Inc. (from 2012 to 2014), is a fashion company that designs and markets a range of women's and men's apparel, acces ...

as vice president of corporate merchandising and design. In 2001, she was promoted to senior vice president of corporate merchandising and group president, responsible for the merchandising of the group's 20 plus brands including Laundry by Shelli Segal, Lucky Brand Dungarees and the men's retail business of

Liz Claiborne Anne Elisabeth Jane Claiborne (March 31, 1929 – June 26, 2007) was an American fashion designer and businesswoman. Her success was built upon stylish yet affordable apparel for career women featuring colorfully tailored separates that co ...

Inc. In 2002, she was promoted again to serve as executive vice president, with full responsibility for the complete line of Liz Claiborne products, services and development across both women's and men's lines.

Burberry

Ahrendts joined Burberry in January 2006, and took up the position of CEO on July 1, 2006, replacing

Rose Marie Bravo Rose Marie Bravo (born Rose Marie La Pila January 13, 1951 in the Bronx, New York) is an American businesswoman. During her career, she has occupied leadership positions in several major fashion businesses and is now vice chairman at Burberry, of ...

. Ahrendts mitigated the brand's decline in prestige by immediately limiting the number of clothing and accessories carrying the Burberry check pattern to 10%, minimizing the damage ubiquitous counterfeits had caused to sales. She also oversaw the buying back of the brand's fragrance and beauty product licenses and the buying out of the

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...

franchise which was then generating 20% of group revenues to stop its unfettered licensing. Ahrendts says she did not model her approach after any other fashion house, but looked to world-class design as an influence, including

The company value rose during her tenure from £2 billion to over £7 billion.

CNN Money CNN Business (formerly CNN Money) is a financial news and information website, operated by CNN. The website was originally formed as a joint venture between CNN.com and Time Warner's ''Fortune'' and ''Money'' magazines. Since the spin-off of Time ...

reported that during 2012, she was the highest-paid CEO in the U.K., making $26.3 million.

Apple

On October 15, 2013, it was announced that Ahrendts would leave Burberry in Spring 2014 to join

as a member of its executive team as senior vice president of retail and online stores, filling the spot vacated by

John Browett John Browett (born 1963) is a British businessman. Between January 2016 and August 2017 he was chief executive of the Dunelm Group. From March 2013 to February 2015, he was chief executive of the British clothing retailer Monsoon Accessorize, a ...

in October 2012. On May 1, 2014,

Apple An apple is an edible fruit produced by an apple tree (''Malus domestica''). Apple fruit tree, trees are agriculture, cultivated worldwide and are the most widely grown species in the genus ''Malus''. The tree originated in Central Asia, wh ...

's new SVP of Retail and Online Stores Angela Ahrendts was placed on the Apple Leadership roster, signaling her official entry into the company. According to Apple's 2015 Proxy Statement filed with the

Securities and Exchange Commission The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is an independent agency of the United States federal government, created in the aftermath of the Wall Street Crash of 1929. The primary purpose of the SEC is to enforce the law against market ...

, Ahrendts earned over $70 million in 2014, more than any other executive at Apple, including CEO

Tim Cook Timothy Donald Cook (born November 1, 1960) is an American business executive who has been the chief executive officer of Apple Inc. since 2011. Cook previously served as the company's chief operating officer under its co-founder Steve Jobs. ...

. As of August 2016, she is reported to own approximately US$11 million worth of Apple shares. On February 5, 2019, Apple announced that Ahrendts would be leaving in April to be replaced by

Deirdre O'Brien Deirdre O'Brien (born c. 1966) is an American businesswoman and the Senior Vice President of Retail and People at Apple Inc. At Apple, Deirdre oversees a broad range of functions including talent development and Apple University, recruiting, empl ...

Board memberships

Ahrendts is a non-executive board member o
Save the Children

Ralph Lauren Corporation Ralph Lauren Corporation is an American publicly traded fashion company that was founded in 1967 by American fashion designer Ralph Lauren. The company is headquartered in New York City, producing products ranging from the mid-range to the luxur ...

Airbnb Airbnb, Inc. ( ), based in San Francisco, California, operates an online marketplace focused on short-term homestays and experiences. The company acts as a broker and charges a commission from each booking. The company was founded in 2008 b ...

and Charity: Water. As of July 1, 2020, she is also a non-executive member of the board of

WPP plc WPP plc is a British multinational communications, advertising, public relations, technology, and commerce holding company headquartered in London, England. It was the world's largest advertising company, as of 2019. WPP plc owns many compan ...

, considered the world's largest advertising company.

Awards and memberships

* 2000: ''Crain's New York'' Rising Stars 40 under 40 * 2010: Awarded honorary

doctorate of Humane Letters The degree of Doctor of Humane Letters (; DHumLitt; DHL; or LHD) is an honorary degree awarded to those who have distinguished themselves through humanitarian and philanthropic contributions to society. The criteria for awarding the degree differ ...

from Ball State. * 2010–present: Prime Minister's Business Advisory Group, Member * 2010:

CNBC CNBC (formerly Consumer News and Business Channel) is an American basic cable business news channel. It provides business news programming on weekdays from 5:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., Eastern Time, while broadcasting talk sho ...

European Business Leader of the Future * 2010: Oracle World Retail Awards, Outstanding Leadership Award * 2011: St George's Society of New York, Medal of Honor * 2011 (also 2010): ''

Financial Times The ''Financial Times'' (''FT'') is a British daily newspaper printed in broadsheet and published digitally that focuses on business and economic current affairs. Based in London, England, the paper is owned by a Japanese holding company, Nik ...

'' Top 50 Women in World Business * 2011:

Shenkar College of Engineering and Design Shenkar College of Engineering, Design and Art (commonly abbreviated as Shenkar) is a public college in Ramat Gan, Israel. Shenkar serves the Israeli industry by providing academic qualification and R&D services for modern industries. Shenkar i ...

, Honorary Fellow * 2013: Business of Fashion BoF 500 * 2013
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire
a DBE for services to British business * 2013 (also 2010, 2011): ''

''s Businesspeople of the Year (2010, 2011, 2013) * 2013: Ranked #4 in ''

''s 2013 top people in business * 2013: ''Financial Times'' Women of 2013 * 2013 (also 2006, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012): ''

Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also re ...

'' 100 Most Powerful Women in the World * 2013: 9th most powerful woman in the United Kingdom by

Woman's Hour ''Woman's Hour'' is a radio magazine programme broadcast in the United Kingdom on the BBC Light Programme, BBC Radio 2, and later BBC Radio 4. It has been on the air since 1946. History Created by Norman Collins and originally presented by A ...

* 2014: ''

Fast Company ''Fast Company'' is a monthly American business magazine published in print and online that focuses on technology, business, and design. It publishes six print issues per year. History ''Fast Company'' was launched in November 1995 by Alan Web ...

'' Most Creative People in Business * 2014 (also 2007, 2008, 2011, 2012, 2013): ''

''s 50 Most Powerful Women in Business

Personal life

Ahrendts met her husband Gregg Couch in

elementary school A primary school (in Ireland, the United Kingdom, Australia, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, and South Africa), junior school (in Australia), elementary school or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary ed ...

. They married in their 30s after a 17-year

long-distance relationship A long-distance relationship (LDR) or long-distance romantic relationship (LDRR) is an intimate relationship between partners who are geographically separated from one another. Partners in LDRs face geographic separation and lack of face-to-face ...

. The couple has three children. When Ahrendts was working at

, the family lived in a home on an plot west of

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

. Brought up a

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's b ...

, she is still an active

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

References

External links

Angela Ahrendts
at

*
Angela Ahrendts
Video produced by '' Makers: Women Who Make America'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Ahrendts, Angela 1960 births Living people 20th-century American businesspeople 20th-century American businesswomen 21st-century American businesspeople 21st-century American businesswomen American businesspeople in retailing American chief executives of fashion industry companies American expatriates in England Methodists from Indiana American women chief executives Apple Inc. executives Ball State University alumni People from New Palestine, Indiana Honorary Dames Commander of the Order of the British Empire Women corporate executives Burberry people